Final Hengrove diesel bus donated to Bristol community arts project
The donated bus will be repurposed as a mobile arts space for Circular ArtSpace, a Bristol-based Community Interest Company (CIC) providing free access to cultural events, exhibitions and creative opportunities for emerging and under-represented artists across Bristol and beyond.
The project will complement Circular ArtSpace's existing Fishponds-based arts hub, which is already housed within a former First Bus vehicle. Together, the stationary and mobile spaces will create a unique network of accessible cultural venues designed to bring art directly into communities and increase participation in creative activities.
The CircularArt Space team with their newly donated bus
The donation also represents a significant milestone in First Bus's sustainability journey. The bus is the final diesel-powered vehicle to leave First Bus's Hengrove depot in Bristol, meaning the fleet operating from the depot is now fully zero-emission.
New to Bristol in 2008, the vehicle had spent its entire operational life serving passengers across the city before being retired from public service. Its transformation into a community arts space gives the bus a second life while also reflecting First Bus’s focus on sustainability and supporting its local communities.
In its new home in Fishponds, the bus now begins an exciting new chapter. First Bus driver Lee Feltham and Yard Supervisor Mike Bliss were on hand to officially hand over the vehicle to the Circular ArtSpace team.
The Circular ArtSpace team with Mike Bliss of First Bus
Doug Claringbold, Managing Director First Bus West and South, said: “We’re proud to support Circular ArtSpace and help give this bus a new purpose at the heart of the community. The project will help create opportunities for emerging artists and bring people together through shared experiences. It's a great example of how we can continue creating positive impact beyond transport."
Tamara Garofalo, Chair of Circular ArtSpace, said: "This new bus is a real opportunity: more space to represent underrepresented artists, to show their work in more places as a kind of multi-location gallery, and to run workshops that help them, and anyone interested, put down roots in the community.
“At the heart of Circular ArtSpace is a simple belief that where there is art, communities come together. A bus felt like the right vehicle for that, literally, it lets us carry this same approach to more places, and it's something people use every day, without the hesitation that can come with walking into a traditional cultural space. And it will always be free, with no ticket required."